Forty-six of the best professional bass anglers from all over the world began their four-day battle for a top cash award of $500,000 at the Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing, on Lake Lanier on Thursday.

"Every decision I made today was the right decision," said the youngest competitor in the Forrest Wood Cup field. "I was so blessed with the big bites that I had.

"It was everything … from having the opportunity to catch a big one and my co-angler not casting there so I could catch the big one," Wheeler added. "It was just an awesome day, and you just don't have those very often."

Although Wheeler was reluctant to give up too much information on his techniques on the first day of competition, he did say that he fished in water that was 10 feet deep or less. He said he targeted largemouth, but did catch a few spotted bass, for a day's catch of 15 bass, including 10 keepers. All of Wheeler's weigh fish were largemouth.

"I knew going into this tournament that it was going to be tough to be consistent with largemouth," Wheeler said. "I could bust 21 pounds a day and go out again tomorrow and catch nothing. That can happen. I know my chances, but that's where my comfort level is.

"Throughout this whole year, the tournaments I did well in I fished my style and what I was confident in," Wheeler added. "So I said, 'I'm going to fish my way, my style, and if it works out, it works out, and if not, I'm going to have a heck of a time."

Nick Hensley of Cumming, Ga., leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 12-2 followed by Matt Krekovich of Granite City, Ill., in second place with four bass weighing 11-9. Co-anglers are fishing for a top award of $50,000.

The top 20 co-anglers are:

1st

Nick Hensley, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 12-2

2nd

Matt Krekovich, Granite City, Ill., four bass, 11-9

3rd

Timothy Dearing, Loudon, Tenn., five bass, 9-6

4th

Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., four bass, 9-0

5th

Ralph Myhlhousen, Council Bluffs, Iowa., five bass, 8-12

5th

Shane Winchester, Glasgow, Ky., three bass, 8-12

7th

Rob Hicks, Lula, Ga., four bass, 7-13

8th

Corey Leonard, Castalia, N.C., four bass, 7-3

9th

Hoyt Tidwell, West Point, Tenn., three bass, 6-15

10th

David Lauer, Loxahatchee, Fla., three bass, 6-1

11th

Doug Caldwell, Kane, Pa., four bass, 6-0

11th

James Waller, Cypress, Texas, four bass, 6-0

13th

Brant Grimm, Kingsport, Tenn., three bass, 5-15

14th

Brandon Hunter, Benton, Ky., four bass, 5-12

15th

Mike Helton, Jeffersonville, Ind., two bass, 5-9

16th

Todd Lee, Jasper, Ala., three bass, 5-4

16th

Brook Pauley, Morgantown, W. Va., four bass, 5-4

18th

Chad Billiot, Radeland, La., three bass, 5-2

18th

Bryan Partak, Marselles, Ill., three bass, 5-2

20th

Kevin Spooner, Vero Beach, Fla., two bass, 4-14

Anglers will take off from Laurel Park located at 3100 Old Cleveland Highway in Gainesville, Ga., at 7 a.m. each morning. Weigh-ins will be held at the Gwinnett Convention Center located at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth, Ga., beginning at 5 p.m. daily.

Fans will be treated to the FLW Expo at the Gwinnett Convention Center on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. prior to the weigh-ins. The Expo includes Ranger boat simulators, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors, and fans can learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public. On Saturday 500 free rods and reels will be given away to the first 500 children 14 years and under who are accompanied by an adult. On Sunday 1,000 free rods and reels will be given away to the first 1,000 children 14 years and under who are accompanied by an adult. The rod and reel giveaways are courtesy of the Gwinnett Daily Post. Also on Sunday, one lucky fishing fan will win a Ranger Z520 with a 250-horsepower Evinrude, Lowrance electronics and Minn Kota trolling motor. The Ranger boat giveaway is courtesy of the Gwinnett Daily Post and is free to enter, but the winner must be present at the conclusion of Sunday's final weigh-in to win.

Coverage of the Forrest Wood Cup will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network when "FLW" airs Sept. 16 from 1-2 p.m. ET. "FLW" is hosted by Jason Harper and is broadcast to more than 559 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.

ABOUT FLW FLW is the industry's premier tournament-fishing organization, providing unparalleled fishing resources and entertainment to our sponsors, fans and host communities. FLW is offering anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2012 over the course of 191 tournaments across five tournament circuits, each providing an avenue to the sport's richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the "Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water," through a variety of platforms including tournaments, outdoor expos and the world's richest fantasy sports game – FLW Fantasy Fishing. For more information about FLW and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com and look for FLW on Twitter and Facebook.